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December 20, 2012

Candy Cane Biscotti

I am a HUGE fan of this biscotti.

I knew I would like it, but I had no idea I would like it SO MUCH!

It's so incredibly yummy! It's soft and chewy and buttery and rich and tastes almost like a sugar cookie. My other biscotti recipe produces a crunchy cookie, which I thought all biscotti was supposed to be crunchy. This candy cane biscotti turned out softer, a lot softer. In fact, mine isn't crunchy at all? It was kinda crunchy the first night, but after dipping in the white chocolate and storing it in an air-tight container overnight, it got really soft and I LOVE IT!

This is good enough that it will make an appearance on my neighbor's cookie plates this year (am I the only one that hasn't done that yet) right next to these red velvet cookies! Most people think of biscotti as a cookie you would dip in a hot drink, but this biscotti is the kind you will want to eat on its own or maybe I should say eat A LOT of it on its own.

I consider it mandatory to dip this biscotti in the white chocolate and garnish with extra candy canes. I was worried the candy canes I added for garnish would be too crunchy and ruin the whole thing, but those got really soft too and they aren't crunchy either. They just add even more yummy peppermint flavor.

Not only does this biscotti TASTEINCREDIBLE, but it is so cute and festive too.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated. Use a wooden spoon to stir in 2/3 cup of crushed candy cane pieces.Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape each into a log that is roughly 9-inches by 1 1/2-inches. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3-inches apart (I just shaped mine on the baking sheet). Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the logs are light golden brown and cracked on top. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the logs cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Working with one log at a time, cut it into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal using a serrated knife. Transfer the biscotti to the baking sheet, cut side down. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the biscotti are light golden brown and crisp on both sides (mine were really soft when I removed them from the oven, but they firmed up once they cooled). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely.Place the chopped white almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for a minute or two, stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted. Dip half of each biscotti cookie into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off before transferring to a sheet of wax paper. Garnish with extra crushed candy canes while the chocolate is wet. Let the chocolate set, then store in an airtight container. Makes about 3-4 dozen. *Tip: to crush candy canes, place them in a zip-top bag and pound them with a rolling pin until they reach your desired size.Jenn's Notes: I made a half a batch and I formed the dough into one large loaf, rather than two and I ended up with 8 pieces, about 4 inches long each. For the half batch, I crushed 3 regular candy canes for the 1/3 cup that you add to the dough and one regular candy cane for garnish and I used 3 squares (6 ounces) of white almond bark. I LOVE this biscotti.

My teen daughter did some almond bark dipped pretzels the other day & wanted to garnish them with crushed candy canes...I too had done it in a bag with a rolling pin but it always seemed to rip the bag & make a mess...she looked in the drawer & said "how about this" & got the wooden tart making tool out & crushed them in a glass bowl that wasn't too shallow, but wasn't too deep either...she was able to crush them to the size she wanted & even ended up doing a bunch pretty fine & it looked so pretty on her pretzels...I will always crush them like this from now on :) Thought you might like to try it this way! Andrea

It does seem to always rip the bag huh? I set my bag over a soft kitchen towel before I begin to smash it with the rolling pin, that way, if any crumbs fall out, I can just move the towel to the garbage and brush off any crumbs. It seems to help a little.

Thanks for the tip. I currently don't own a tart making tool, but if I ever get one, I will be sure to try out your way! -Jenn

Love this; what a great recipe to have around for guests! You are a featured favorite this week on Saturday Show & Tell on Cheerios and Lattes! We can't wait to see what you've been up to with your family over Christmas! :) Mackenzie :)